BP vs Black MZ

[coloradoclyde]

To OP where did you hear about BlackMZ being discontinued? I can't find anything on this. Can anyone else?

No, I haven't been able to verify it either....But I can dream.... :grin:

I think it's case of "fear marketing" to spur sales.

 

[Okie Hog]

i can't find where it's being "discontinued" either.

The APP factory in Colorado where Black MZ is manufactured is still operating. Sportsman's Warehouse is currently selling Black MZ.

 

[Historian]

Finally someone said something worth while. Alliant Black MZ is really nothing more than a type of APP American Pioneer Powder. Alliant does not make it. I liked shooting Black MZ but did not like the clumping. It shot really well in both of my Pedersoli shotguns and Hawken. But I am back to shooting Holy Black OE from Goex AND LOVE IT :wink:

KEEP YOUR POWDER DRY BOYS!

 

[coloradoclyde]

The Pedersoli manual states;

USE BLACK POWDER (or PYRODEX, if allowed in your Country) ONLY to load your muzzle loading firearm.

 

[dlidster]

To OP where did you hear about BlackMZ being discontinued? I can't find anything on this. Can anyone else?

I'm not the OP, but I called Alliant. An Alliant tech support rep said, yes, Black MZ is being discontinued. (He said Black MZ's manufacturer is going out of business.) This was after I talked with a salesman at Sportman's Warehouse who told me he had heard nothing about Black MZ being discontinued. They had quite a bit in stock and, while I was standing there, he checked his computer to verify they had more on order.

Too bad. This stuff isn't perfect, but it's really clean, really cheap, and gives me nice, tight groups. At $9.95 a pound I'm going to hoard more than I'll probably ever shoot.

 

[Renegade Dan]

If Alliant or someone other than Goex started producing real BP domestically, the price of the real stuff would undoubtedly drop to those same levels.....Then everyone could afford to shoot the stuff.... :grin:

:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

 

[azmntman]

Too bad. This stuff isn't perfect, but it's really clean, really cheap, and gives me nice, tight groups. At $9.95 a pound I'm going to hoard more than I'll probably ever shoot.

:metoo:

 

[coloradoclyde]

Too bad. This stuff isn't perfect, but it's really clean, really cheap, and gives me nice, tight groups. At $9.95 a pound I'm going to hoard more than I'll probably ever shoot.

I'm guessing their going out of business explains the low price....Maybe if Cabela's wasn't selling it for almost $40.00 a pound they might still be in business...
I'd think twice about "stocking up"...it has a short shelf life.....I loaded up some shotshells and they didn't last 2 years even. when fired they were bloopers and some where more like detonations. :shocked2: Just my experience....yours may vary.

 

[azmntman]

I have a three year old "can" of Blk MZ and it has no clumps and shoots to center, no hang fires no other issues. I.d say it may be a regional issue (low humidity here :hmm: )

 

[FerricOxide]

As far as I know the $10 price was at sportsmans warehouse Iirc only. I'm going to be heading by one here this next weekend and I was planning on picking up a lb or 2 for my caplocks.

 

[coloradoclyde]

I have a three year old "can" of Blk MZ and it has no clumps and shoots to center, no hang fires no other issues. I.d say it may be a regional issue (low humidity here :hmm: )

I am inclined to agree with you...Unfortunately for Black Mz, there aren't that many places in the U.S. with your climate.

 

[coloradoclyde]

I wonder if the price of ascorbic acid had anything to do with it....I seem to recall a lawsuit and possibly a tariff :hmm: ....

 

[Okie Hog]

i have two cans of Black MZ bought in 2012. No loss of power, no clumps no nothing.

This buck i killed last evening bang flopped when hit with a .50 caliber patched round ball driven by 90 grains of Black MZ. Rifle had been loaded for three weeks.

 

[mark/wi]

I would say that worked just fine for you. Mark

 

[Okie Hog]

Yep, APP is a goner. i just called APP company hqrs in Boca Raton, FL. No one answered and the voice mail box is full.

 

[Greenjoytj]

Alliant Black MZ MSDS:
Hazard-determining components of labeling: potassium perchlorate
Carbon black
· Hazard statements
H271 May cause fire or explosion; strong oxidizer. H302 Harmful if swallowed.
H351 Suspected of causing cancer.

It is the perchlorate specifically, the chlorine worry’s me because many modern muzzle loaders are built with stainless steel and chemicals containing chlorine have been blamed for causing SS steel to crack.

 

[vulture]

I tried using Pyrodex years ago but found that it tended to soak up oil worse than real black powder did, besides I have always been a bit of a purest, like the real stuff, now having said that I was introduced to Alliant's substitute black as an alternative to the real stuff in my cartridge loading. I was very surprised at how well it did and how much easier it was to clean up after. The main reason though was it was locally available at a very decent price where as no one within 100 miles of me sells the real stuff. There are a lot of reasons why people buy and use what they do and I have tried to never judge the choices of others, what do I know about their situations? If a person is willing to get into the muzzle loading sport, or black powder cartridge game, because of the availability or convenience of fake black powder more power to him, at least his presence in the overall game helps to support the availability of related products. I am old enough to have seen a great deal of change in this sport over the years and watched the loss of many fine products, and the introduction of a lot of stuff I really don't like, such as inline black powder firearms. When those became popular several traditional black powder firearms went the way of the Dodo bird and that was a very sad day, but like them or not they help keep the sport alive, and honestly we all need that. Hang in there folks, and have a great day, after all it's the Christmas season, one of the best times of the year....well, at least in my book.

 

[Carbon 6]

Companies like Hodgdon and Alliant should stop trying to reinvent the wheel and focus their efforts on making real BP more easily accessible to shooters.

 

[Coalforge]

It is not so much that other companies could not make black powder but that the federal regulations make handling it and selling it such a hassle. Look at the rules for explosive storage and you will see what I mean. Black powder is great if it's available, but I am not going to give up the sport just because I have to use a substitute powder much of the time.

 

[Carbon 6]

Substitutes are not a solution to the problem, they are a way of avoiding it.